1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a urination aid for women, and more particularly to a portable and disposable urinary receptor and directional device that conforms comfortably to the body and directs the urine away from the body to exterior disposal while the woman is in a standing position.
2. Prior Art
For health reasons and for convenience it is desirable to enable a woman to urinate in an upright or standing position. The danger (real or imaginary) of contracting disease from toilet seats, especially in public restrooms, causes many women to either avoid using public facilities or to attempt to urinate without touching the toilet seat with their bodies. Frequently, the state of sanitation in public facilities is not entirely adequate, particularly if the facilities have been used by persons of both genders. Use of toilet seat covers and the like does not always solve the problem since positioning the covers on the seat sometimes entails touching the seat itself, which as noted is undesirable. Additionally, many women participate in vocations and/or hobbies, such as aviation, camping, hunting, hiking etc., which do not permit the woman to find or use a bathroom equipped with a toilet, when such facilities are needed.
Because of a woman's anatomy, it is difficult or impossible for her to urinate directionally. The woman is thus unable to urinate from any distance into a receptacle, in a manner which would enable the woman to avoid direct contact with the receptacle, and also to have the ability of using receptacles other than sit-down toilets. It is therefore desirable for a woman to have a neat, convenient and sanitary device to facilitate directional urination while the woman is in an upright position, to be used in a bathroom facility or for urinating into a receptacle.
There are several known devices to facilitate urination by women in an upright position or to aid in collection of urine samples from women. U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,151--Ball discloses a urinary guide apparatus which is shaped to the contours of the female genital region and is secured in place manually or by means of specially constructed undergarments, for use by incontinents who need the device to remain in position. The apparatus defines a urethral orifice by which urine passes from the user to a flexible disposal tube. The orifice is aligned with ridges and the like, and is positioned differently for users of different sizes or ages.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,568,339--Steer; 3,964,111--Packer; and 4,771,484--Mozell disclose funnel-shaped apparatus designed for conducting urine away from the user's body. Packer and Mozell both disclose multi-piece devices with interior disposal liners. Use of the Packer and Mozell devices requires the user to dispose of the liner and keep the urinary device for further use. Steer's device includes a flange for connection to a cut-out pair of conventional panties.
To be considered efficient and to be useful to women as they travel, a device of this type should be functional for direction of urinary flow, and also easily stored in a handbag or the like. It is also preferable that the device itself be disposable, in order to avoid the need to manipulate the device after it has been used.